huffman



(No Model.)

A0. HUFFMAN.

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

ANIMAL TRAP.

Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

lIllIll N. PETERS, Pnmo-Lhhngnpher. wasnnlun, D. C.

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2. O. HUFFMAN.

ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 395,054. Patented Deo. 25, 1888.

N4 PETERS, Fhnlo-Lnnngrlphcr. Washinglon, D. C.

rig. i.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

ORLANDO HUFFMAN, OF FRIEND, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS E.BROVNE, OE SAME PLACE.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,054, dated December25, 1888.

Application filed July '7, 1888. Serial No. 279,316. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t nifty concern:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO HUFFMAN, of Friend, in the county of Salineand State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Animal-Traps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an improvement in animal-traps of a class thatkill the rodent, throw it away from the trap, and reset for successiveoperations.

The object of this invention is to provide an animal-trap of the typementioned which will be of simple, cheap, and durable construction, andthat is capable of rapid production from metal, principally cast-iron.

A further object is to additionally improve the form and operativemechanism of the animal-trap of my invention that is exhibited in PatentNo. 380,439, dated April 3, 1888, embodying some of the mechanicaldetails of said trap in modied form and adding an essential elementwhich renders my present invention more practical and reliable inoperation as a resetting-trap.

Referring' to the drawings making a part of this specication,Figure l isafront elevation of the trap in perspective, showing the trap set tokill animals. Fig. 2 is a side elevation in section of the device,showing the position assumed by t-he mechanism when the trap has beensprung and reset. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the trap, taken on the lineQc r of Fig. a is a view in perspective of one of the details.

A is the frame of the trap, made, preferably, of cast-iron and given acage form, open on the front, with the side a nearest the bait notchedout to permit a rat or vermin to approach the bait on this side of thetrap.

The rear side, a, of the frame A is made with open slat-work, or in anypreferred form that will lighten it and at the same time prevent a rat,gopher, or other rodent from having access to the bait on this side ofthe trap.

The top of the frame A is recessed at A to form a spring-box, B, and acap-plate, A2, is 5o fitted to the front face of the same. lVithin thebox B a coiled spring, B', is located, the inner end of which is securedto a j ournaled shaft, b, which is loosely supported to revolve inbearings formed in the case and cap-plate. 55 The outer end of thespring' B is secured to a transverse rod, c, which extends across thespring-box, and, in fact, is the body of one of the screws which securethe cap-plate A2 in position. On the front end of the shaft b a 6o metalbar, O, is secured at a right angle thereto, having clearance to permitit to revolve, and of such a relative length that it will not strike theground or other base on which the trap may be set.

The free end d of the bar C is preferably bent slightly edgewse andflattened to give it a saber form with a thinned edge. This bar isdesigned to kill the rat or other vermin by a forcible impact with itsbody when re- 7o volved rapidly by a release of the powerful spring B',which is manifestly adapted to give it such a revoluble movement ifwound up, held in such a condition, and then suddenly released. 7 5

In order to hold the bar C in position to rep tain the spring B wound upand permit a ready release by action of trigger mechanism that will bedescribed in its order, there is a simple setting device provided, whichcon- 8o sists of several pieces that act together to accomplish thedesired result, as will now be explained.

On the right side of the frame A a guardpiece, D, is secured, which isbent into hook 85 form, so as to extend its free end e in front of thetrap-frame, the extremity c being bent outwardly and upwardly, formingan inclined edge, e2, next to the front edges of t-he frame to which itis adjacent.' I

A bracket-plate, E, is adj usl'ably secured to the inner surface ol' theright side of the frame A, one limb, f, of said bracket-plate ex tendinginwardly from the support for the gravity block F, that is perforated tobe 95 loosely mounted and secured in place on the rounded shank f of thelimb f by a crosskey, g, that is inserted in a perforation made :t'or itthrough the body of said shank, the rel duction of the limb f to formthe shank producing a shoulder or offset at 71, against which thegravity-block YF loosely abuts when in secured position on its support.

rlhe bracketplate lil is furnished with a slotted ear, i, to which ishinged one end of the catch-bar (l, this bar beingbentto extendrearwardly, its tree end 7.- curving to project toward the center ot thetrap. The corner i', formed on the catch-bar G where it is bent at aright angle to project rearwardly, as just stated, is in such arelativeposition that it will. afford an abutment, against which the iedge ot' the revolving bar (l rests when the g trap is set.v bar whereit engages the corner slight incline `given to the latter renders theadjustment sensitive and the bar easy to dis engage it the catclrbar (lis moved slightljv to carry its tree end toward the side wall ot thei'rame A.

A sloping surface is t'ornied on the projecting lront end oli' thegravit .v-bloek, li to reduce it. The side surfaces ot` this cud ot' theblock are cut away on inelines toward each other to form a nose, in,which is ot' such a relative length as to cause it to impinge with itsouter point against the adjacent edge of the guard-piece l), which lwillhold the latter in such a Ia'isition that a projecting rounded tin ger,n, formed on the catch-bar G, will engz'lge a lug, n', that projectstrom the top sul tace ot' the gravity-block l?. The engagement of partsnamed occurs when the block l? is raised by the Aforcible contact otlthe revolving bar t, that ,is guided by the curved outer edge ot theguard-[nece D, and the adjoining sloped corner ot' the block F, againstwhich it stri kes when actuatei'l by the coiled spring l', the lit'tingolf the block thus produced al,- lowing the bar t? to engage the cornerl, that has been thrown out into position torsuch an engagement bytheelevation of the block and the contact oli the lugnwith the finger n, aspreviously stated.

()n. the rea-r wall ot the traine A an arm, o, is projectedhorizontalljv toward the ilront otI the trap, and at o bent up at aright angle to the horizontal port-ion, thus producing a support t'orthe bait-carrier l', which is also a trigger to set iree thelocked edgeot the bal-C.

'lhe trigger l is preferably made ot' wire bent into a coil at y), thecoil being ot' sut'ticient length to i'orm a box that loosely embracesthe upright portion ot the arm o, two limbs, r fr', extending from thecoil p atan angle to cach other, but in parallel horizontalv planes.'lhe upper limb, fr, is bent up at its outer end, r2, to adapt it toabut against the hook end ot' the catch-bar (r. The other limb, i",extends toward the lett side ot the :trame A, and is also turned up,producing a vertical pin, s, yon which the bait is attached se lherounded surface ot' the and the \\'hen the trap is to be set lor use,the bar C is revolved toward the catch-bar (t, the gravity-block rockingto allow the end ot the bar to pass it. \\'hen a sullcient number ot'revolutions have been given to the bar to wind up the spring l', theedge ot the bar is made to rest onto the shoulder or corner i of thecartelli-bar (l, which will hold the :t'rce end ot this latch-baragainst the portion fr* olf the trigger-limb r, the other limb beingextended with the bait held on it well to the rear ot' the traptrame A.lit' the bait is pulled l'm'wardl v b v a dcpredatin rodent, the lever Cwill be instant-ljv set free, and by the action of the sjjn'ing l itwill swing forcibly against the side or backbone ot' the animal, tlieshock being ot' suiiicient violence to kill l the vermin outright, or sodisable it as to prevent its escape. lt' the bar strikt-'es the rat orgopher on the side, as it is most likely to do, it will, throw theanimal awayv Vfrom the device, and b v a eontiiuiation ot lrevolublemovementthebar will strikeagainst the sloping Vwall. of thegravity-block li, which will check the bar, while it yields to itsimpact, thus throwing the catch-bar into position to have its corner icross the path ot' the bar (l and arrest it, effecting a resetting ofthe trap in an obvious manner.

The provision ot' the gravity-block F is one ot' the essential featuresot' my present invention, it is effective in the absorption ot shockcaused by the bar C il the trap is discharged without hitting an.animal, so that the bar will be checked and eased into contact with thecorner i ot the catch-bar G.

Having tulljT described my invention, what I claim as new,-and desire tosecure b v l'ietters Patent, is-

l. 'ln an an i mattrap, the minbination, with a t'rame and aspriiig-iuftuated bar supj'iortelfl to revolve on said trame, ot' alatch-bai.' hinged to the iframe and provided with a shoulder torengaging the spring-actuated bar, a trigger connected to the latch-bar.ior moving the latter awa \v from the sprng-actuated bar, andagravity-bloclc :n'lapted to receive the impact otl the spri11g-actuatedbar, substantially 'as toi-th.

ln an animal-trap, the combination, with a trame having two sides, aprotecting rear wall, and a spring-lmgv mounted between the side walls,ot' a coiled spring, a shaft, a revolving bar secured to the shaft, aguardn piece, a pivoted catelebar, a pivoted gravity block that isadapted to receive the impact oi' the revolving bar, and a rockintrigger that engages the catch-bar, substantially as set forth.

3. ln an animal-trap, the combination, with a trame, a spring-boxmounted between the upright side walls ot' the frame, a coiled spring, ashaft on which this spring is wound and sujiported in the spring-box,and a revolving hamm er-bar, of a guard -piece that is IOO 'IIO

curved on its edge, a pvoted gravity-block In testimony whereof I havesigned this the nose of which engages the adjacent edge specification inthe presence of two s'ubsorib- Io of the guard-piece, zt'pvoted1atoh-barhaving ing Witnesses.

its free end adapted to engage the trigderi T limb, which carries abait, and a trigger sbup- O' HUFFMAA' ported to rook in et horizontalplane and dis- Vitnesses: L

charge the hammer-bar when the bait is tam- E. D. LEONARD,

pered with, Substantially as Set forth. L. R. LEONARD.

